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Feds: Idaho Mine Death Attributed to 'Improper Protection'

Federal regulators said Thursday that an Idaho man, killed in November 2011 at Hecla Mining's Lucky Friday Mine in Idaho's panhandle, died at a site where management failed to provide proper personal protective equipment.

Brandon Gray, 26, was working on top of a pile of broken rock—called muck—at the Mullan silver mine when the pile gave way. The miner eventually became engulfed in the material. He was freed and hospitalized, but died two days later.

"Additionally, the miners didn't receive the proper training to safely perform the task of removing the blocked material from the bin," the report from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said.